Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Plenty at stake when BYU, Utah meet in rivalry clash

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald
BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker (16) tackles Utah quarterback Brandon Rose in a college football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.Here’s our weekly power rankings of Big 12 teams with a look at their schedules and matchups.
1. No. 7 Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 Big 12)
Last results: Cameron Dickey ran for a career-high 263 yards and two touchdowns as No. 9 Texas Tech blasted Kansas 42-17.
Game On: Saturday at Arizona State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12), 2 p.m. MT (FOX)
What’s Up? Freshman Will Hammond scored twice after replacing an injured Behren Morton at quarterback against Kansas. … Texas Tech leads the overall series with Arizona State 3-2 and won the last meeting 30-22 at Lubbock in 2024.
2. No. 15 BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12)
Last results: Quarterback Bear Bachmeier scored two rushing touchdowns – on at the end of regular and the other in the second overtime – as No. 18 BYU rallied for a 33-27 victory against Arizona.
Game On: Saturday vs. No. 23 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12), 6 p.m. MT (FOX)
What’s Up? BYU has started 6-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. … The Cougars have won the past two meetings with Utah (22-21 in SLC last season and 26-17 at Provo in 2021).
3. No. 23 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)
Last results: Quarterback Devin Dampier ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns as Utah ran over No. 21 Arizona State 42-10.
Game On: Saturday at No. 15 BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), 6 p.m. MT (FOX)
What’s Up? Dampier became the first Utah quarterback to run for more than 100 yards since Travis Wilson against Oregon in 2015. … The Utes lead the overall series with BYU 60-33-4, with their last win coming in 2019 (30-12 in Provo).
4. No. 24 Cincinnati (5-1, 3-0 Big 12)
Last results: Cincinnati is on a five-game winning streak after a 20-11 victory against UCF.
Game On: Saturday at Oklahoma State (1-5, 0-3 Big 12), 6 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
What’s Up? Brendan Sorsby passed for 191 yards and two touchdowns, both the receiver Jeff Caldwell. … Cincinnati’s last win in the four-game series with Oklahoma State was in 1959, a 22-9 victory at Stillwater.
5. Houston (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)
Last results: Conner Weigman passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in a 39-17 victory against Oklahoma State.
Game On: Saturday vs. Arizona (4-2, 1-2 Big 12), 10 a.m. MT (FS1)
What’s Up? Weigman was 21 of 30 for 306 yards and no interceptions against the Cowboys while Ethan Sanchez kicked four field goals. … Houston holds a 3-2 edge in the series with Arizona.
6. Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12)
Last results: Defeated Kansas State 35-34 on Oct. 4.
Game On: Saturday at TCU (4-2, 1-2 Big 12), 10 a.m. MT (ESPN2)
What’s Up? Sawyer Robertson has passed for 2,058 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season. … Baylor won the last meeting with TCU 37-34 last season in Waco, ending a streak of four straight wins for the Horned Frogs.
7. Arizona State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12)
Last results: Playing without injured starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, Arizona State couldn’t move the ball consistently and lost at Utah 42-10.
Game On: Saturday vs. No. 7 Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), 2 p.m. MT (FOX)
What’s Up? Former Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims subbed for Leavitt and was 18 of 38 for 124 yards. … Arizona State’s last win in this five-game series was in 2016, a wild 68-55 victory at Tempe, a game where the Sun Devils’ Kalen Ballage tied an NCAA record by scoring eight touchdowns.
8. Arizona (4-2, 2-2 Big 12)
Last results: A Noah Fifita pass on fourth down in the second overtime fell incomplete and Arizona lost to No. 18 BYU 33-27.
Game On: Saturday at Houston (5-1, 2-1 Big 12), 10 a.m. MT (FS1)
What’s Up? Fifita threw for 219 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a game delayed more than an hour due to lightning. … Arizona won the last meeting with Houston, a 27-3 victory at Tucson last season.
9. Colorado (3-4, 1-3 Big 12)
Last results: Kaidon Salter threw a pair of touchdown passes and Colorado’s defense came with an interception and a fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter in a 24-17 upset of No. 22 Iowa State.
Game On: Bye (Next game is Oct. 25 at Utah)
What’s Up? Salter threw for 255 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown to Omarion Miller. … Saturday was the second Colorado win over an AP Top 25 opponent under Deion Sanders. the first was vs. No. 17 TCU in 2023.
10. Iowa State (5-2, 2-2 Big 12)
Last results: Abu Sama III ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-17 loss at Colorado.
Game On: Bye (Next game is Oct. 25 vs. BYU)
What’s Up? Rocco Becht was 18 of 33 for 205 yards for Iowa State. … One of least penalized teams in the nation, the Cyclones were flagged seven times vs. Colorado after being penalized eight times last week in a loss to Cincinnati.
11. Kansas State (3-4, 2-2 Big 12)
Last results: Avery Johnson threw three touchdown passes, two to Garrett Oakley, in a 41-28 upset of TCU.
Game On: Bye (Next game is Oct. 25 at Kansas)
What’s Up? Kansas State scored two defensive touchdowns against TCU, Wesley Fair recovering a TCU fumble in the end zone and Desmond Purnell with a 25-yard interception return. … Johnson was 16 of 26 for 198 yards against the Horned Frogs.
12. TCU (4-2, 1-2 Big 12)
Last results: TCU trailed Kansas State 28-7 late in the third quarter and couldn’t make up that deficit, losing 41-28.
Game On: Saturday vs. Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12), 10 a.m. MT (ESPN2)
What’s Up? Josh Hoover was 26 of 47 for 376 yards and three touchdowns for the Horned Frogs. … TCU holds the overall lead in the series with Baylor 59-53-7 and won won eight of nine from 2015 to 2023.
13. Kansas (4-3, 2-2 Big 12)
Last results: Jalon Daniels threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns as Kansas lost to No. 9 Texas Tech 42-17.
Game On: Bye (Next game is Oct. 25 vs. Kansas State)
What’s Up? Kansas is 1-12 in Lubbock against the Red Raiders and has lost 24 of its past 26 meetings. … Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels has completed nearly 70% of his passes for 1,725 yards, 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
14. UCF (3-3, 0-3 Big 12)
Last results: UCF dropped its third straight game, a 20-11 loss to Cincinnati.
Game On: Saturday vs. West Virginia (2-4, 0-3 Big 12), 11 a.m. MT (TNT/HBO Max)
What’s Up? Florida Atlantic transfer Cam Fancher made his second start of the season at quarterback for the Golden Knights, passing for 222 yards while rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown. … UCF has lost all four meetings with West Virginia, all by double digits.
15. West Virginia (2-4, 0-3 Big 12)
Last results: Lost at No. 23 BYU 38-24 on Oct. 4.
Game On: Saturday at UCF (3-3, 0-3 Big 12), 11 a.m. MT (TNT/HBO Max)
What’s Up? Four West Virginia quarterbacks have throws for a combined 1,032 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions. … The Mountaineers lead the overall series with UCF 4-0, including a 31-21 victory at Morgantown in 2024.
16. Oklahoma State (1-5, 0-3 Big 12)
Last results: Oklahoma State has lost 13 of its past 14 games after a 39-17 defeat by Houston.
Game On: Saturday vs. No. 24 Cincinnati (5-1, 3-0 Big 12), 6 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
What’s Up? Converted wide receiver Sam Jackson V was 7 of 16 for 84 yards and one interception for the Cowboys vs. Houston. … Oklahoma State leads the overall series with Cincinnati 3-1, winning 45-13 at Stillwater in 2023 and 27-17 at Cincinnati in 1983.